Ninja Gaiden [NES] + R2RKMF: Scrolling Action Monogatari

[Squire Grooktook]

i caught a bit of zoasty running super metroid earlier and saw the reverse boss order route for the first time, it's absolutely insane. he also happened to get the world record, i'd highly recommend watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp-VeEuZsP0

Holy hell, running Norfair like that looks intense. Fucking clock always ticking.

[kitten]

Ah right, you also talked about this before.
I played the Famicom version, on Normal. I figured I'd best get the 1CC on the default difficulty, and only then attempt Hard.
I did use a few continues, but after thinking it a bit through, future runs shouldn't be that bad.

i managed to get an nes supreme master (fc's normal) run down to just one death and felt i still had a lot of room for improvement. i should probably grab a famicom copy for myself!

because unless I'm terribly mistaken, the layout of the last maze is different.
I made a map of the last stage, when I 1LCed Level-1, and was following it, when suddenly, one of the rooms didn't have the room I followed in Level-1.
So, once again, I'm in the process of mapping Stage 4 again, which to be honest, is actually pretty fun.

i -think- that i detailed you'd want to look up the last stage's routes before playing. it does, in fact, change on each loop. the 3rd loops maze is completely ridiculous and you'll absolutely not want to have to rough it.

[__SKYe]

i managed to get an nes supreme master (fc's normal) run down to just one death and felt i still had a lot of room for improvement. i should probably grab a famicom copy for myself!

That's pretty cool, I can imagine myself getting the 1CC soon enough (if all goes well), but a single death is not quite within my reach.
By the way, is the NES version's hardest difficulty really called 'Supreme Master'? That's one hell of a name for it.

i -think- that i detailed you'd want to look up the last stage's routes before playing. it does, in fact, change on each loop. the 3rd loops maze is completely ridiculous and you'll absolutely not want to have to rough it.

Yeah you did, but I wanted to go through it by myself.
What I didn't know, was that the maze changed between difficulty levels. It is pretty fun to map out nonetheless, so I'm not too concerned by it. It will just take a bit more to 1CC.

EDIT: Managed to reach the last stage losing only 1 life (on DD2 FC), and that's because I accidentaly fell into a pit.
Lost another on the ninjas at the end of the last stage, and yet another on the penultimate boss. Lost the last life on the last boss, and 1 continue after that on him too.
He's damn tough, and he avoid almost anything I throw at him. Even if I manage to avoid the previous deaths, he's still pretty much a run killer, for me.

[BIL]

On a side note, I couldn't help but chuckle at Abobo, with actual hair.

El Gado needs Abobo to hook a beltscroller brother up with some of those hairplugs!

By the way, is the NES version's hardest difficulty really called 'Supreme Master'? That's one hell of a name for it.

It is - and incidentally, even though the NES version is ultimately nowhere as tough, it's actually meaner-spirited. You can only play the full game on Supreme Master - it'll kick you out early on lower difficulties. And you can't continue by default like on FC - you need a cheat. Also, where Mission 6's vanishing platforms have Easy/Normal/Hard patterns on FC, they're permanently stuck on the "Hard" variant on NES. I wonder exactly how the two versions developed, and how much (if any) input Acclaim had on the NES one.

[kitten]

EDIT: Managed to reach the last stage losing only 1 life (on DD2 FC), and that's because I accidentaly fell into a pit.

yeah, that's gonna take a while to work out of your system i was falling in pits on my plays for a long time before getting used to them, and they never stopped being stressful



played through golden axe with luna (roommate/bff), it was her first time playing.

note that "players used" is one number greater than your deaths. i.e. if you do a no miss, you'd still have 1 player used. pretty much every time i died was her fault i was yelping a bunch at her! you can hit your teammates in this one, and she walloped me quite a few times. still, though, we managed to get through it. even though we used all the credits, we both had 3 lives left. i suppose i can't pick at her playing, she is a total beat 'em up novice and doesn't really understand how AI works in these games, and she came through where it counted - more than i think you could fairly expect of a first-timer. we managed to not die once on death bringer - he was chasing me to the bottom of the screen and both skeletons were angry at her, which is EXACTLY what i wanted to happen.

fun, but a little stressful. i'd love for her to build her skill up a bit so we can get proficient enough to do good plays, together.

[BrianC]

It is - and incidentally, even though the NES version is ultimately nowhere as tough, it's actually meaner-spirited. You can only play the full game on Supreme Master - it'll kick you out early on lower difficulties. And you can't continue by default like on FC - you need a cheat. Also, where Mission 6's vanishing platforms have Easy/Normal/Hard patterns on FC, they're permanently stuck on the "Hard" variant on NES. I wonder exactly how the two versions developed, and how much (if any) input Acclaim had on the NES one.

I'm not sure, but I know the JP version has leftovers from the US version in it, according to TCRF. I have the JP Double Dragons on the Everdrive N8, but I had a heck of a time finding it since they were listed under Sou Setsu Ryu.

[Sumez]

Is Ninja Crusaders a game that should be on my to-get list?

[BIL]

It's a solid game with a unique and well-done riff on NG-style action, but I wouldn't call it essential. I'd never part with my copy (this goes for all my FC stuff), finding it rounds out my sidescrolling action canon very nicely - but at the same time I was happy waiting several years for the right deal to come along.

[FinalBaton]

the secret stage has a joke boss that is very much lost on an english audience. you fight an afro-endowed simon belmont who throws fish!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq2xiLxAiIs

the joke here is that it's supposed to be a combination of simon belmont and famed japanese vocalist masato shimon (known for his afro), who was made famous for the above song (about fish). here's a little trivia about the song. "shimon" and "simon" are pronounced the same way in japanese, so it's a corny pop-culture gag.

Thanks for the info. That joke boss's context would have definitely been lost on me, lol

played through golden axe with bff

2 player coop really is a big draw for beat 'em ups.They're just so damn fun and totally "pick up an play", while still having room for player improvment and mastery of the game. That's their magic.

A friend of mine plays Street of Rage 2 with me whenever she visits, I always look forward to it cause it's such a different and refreshing experience (I try to do couch coop whenever I can but let's be real here; with adult responsabilities, it's way harder to find the time to play with your friends in the same room as them That's why I'm always stoked for couch coop : it reminds me of my childhood! I do indulge in it at a decent enough clip though : a buddy of mine has started a Dragon's Crown(really cool game btw)campaign with me and we play once every two weeks)

[BIL]

Actually, fuck it, might as well bust out the next episode of 2ND OPINON. I've been slacking off lately. Aww sheeit, rejected game appeals court is back in session! More games or more cash, how can Dr. Biruford lose? Recently picked up Ninja Crusaders and Dynamite Batman, two of the longer-incarcerated members of my test ROM folder.



Ninja Crusaders: Ryuuga (NMK, FC 1990) Good lord, this one took a while to warm up to. Years actually. Plus a great buddy deal on a complete cart. And two/three dozen better sidescrollers before it. >_> But nevertheless - its time had come! The long-serving GUN-DECKARD's pondering mug is particularly apropos to this episode, for revisiting Gun-Dec was what finally clued me into NC's niche amongst Ninja Gaiden-style FC sidescrolling™. Specifically GD's canyon stage - the bit where you're crossing columns when suddenly, BWAAAH! Hopping, charging, shooting enemies spawn from all sides, and tbh getting hit doesn't matter provided you don't fall into the pits. You're objectively better off hunkering down and soaking up a couple 1HP dings while the hazards disperse, rather than manfully counterattacking and risking an instakill pitfall. Every time it's been a while and I reach this part, plus a few like it later, I'll back up and practice until I can ace it with icy precision once again. 3:

Aaand here's where Ninja Crusaders comes in. Where GD (and the very similarly-pitched NGII) can feel overly warm and fuzzy in survival terms, reliant on pitfalls to create real peril, NC is icily perilous to a fault. Viscerality is already lacking, its combat offering none of NG's *THWACK* or *THOOOM* even before getting to the real chiller - one hit deaths. There isn't even any Pit Knockback™ here - something hits you, you're dead. This is no methodically cover-hopping Shinobi or deliberately lunar, screen-raking Ninja Spirit, either - combat is straight out of NG, short-ranged against twitchy foes with accuracy lethally paramount.

Lack of oomph aside, what NC does take from NG1 is far more crucial - control response, collision detection and camera tracking are just as airlock-tight. The designers clearly took the modulating of NG1's sprinting pace to 1HKO format seriously - spawns are appropriately more conservative than in Tecmo's games, with an absence of their more extreme ceiling ambush gags and sudden encirclement patterns. Weaponry again demonstrates a conscious paring down to the fundamental, dispensing with flashier subweapons for a simple long/weak VS short/strong dynamic.

The animal transformations associated with each generally aid mobility moreso than attack, with a decent sense of tradeoff... for a long time I regarded the invincible Dragon's P-Wing-esque dominance with bemusement, but its unique time limit and depriving of the associated Sword (the game's rarest and ultimate weapon, in expert hands) gives it a nice sting. Shuriken's Tony The Tiger has unmatched platformer agility, but suffers from the sole instance of short range + weak attack. Staff's Falcon surpasses the Dragon's flight, but has no invulnerability and indeed no attack whatsoever. Chain's lobster thingy is invaluable underwater, imbuing the sludgy water stages an addictive Defender-esque zip, but intolerable out of it. As with the game at large, the transform mechanic isn't genre-leading, but it's certainly likable and well-considered to its purpose.

This isn't quite an essential FC sidescroller, but as a complementary piece to NG1 it may well win over adherents of that game; it most certainly claims its own little niche on the far end of the subgenre's spectrum, opposite Gun-Dec's near-totally freeform roughhousing. Worth a look provided you know what it's going for.

[__SKYe]

yeah, that's gonna take a while to work out of your system i was falling in pits on my plays for a long time before getting used to them, and they never stopped being stressful

Yeah, but it wasn't any sort of important run, so it's cool.
if it was a 1CC or 1LC run that had gone to waste because of it, then I would be pissed.

The upside, is that, this is the kind of death that is not (exactly) technique/skill related (as in, it's not because of a lack of skill, rather lack of care/attention), as opposed to the standard deaths because of tough enemies/bosses.

But yes, it's always tense, especially in places where enemies are on the edge of a platform waiting for you to go there, or the platforming segments on the later levels, where I'm always scared that my awkward jumping character will fall into the spikes.

played through golden axe with luna (roommate/bff), it was her first time playing.

note that "players used" is one number greater than your deaths. i.e. if you do a no miss, you'd still have 1 player used. pretty much every time i died was her fault i was yelping a bunch at her! you can hit your teammates in this one, and she walloped me quite a few times. still, though, we managed to get through it. even though we used all the credits, we both had 3 lives left. i suppose i can't pick at her playing, she is a total beat 'em up novice and doesn't really understand how AI works in these games, and she came through where it counted - more than i think you could fairly expect of a first-timer. we managed to not die once on death bringer - he was chasing me to the bottom of the screen and both skeletons were angry at her, which is EXACTLY what i wanted to happen.

fun, but a little stressful. i'd love for her to build her skill up a bit so we can get proficient enough to do good plays, together.

That's actually pretty impressive, as I've always found playing with 2 players harder than playing alone, especially when one of the players isn't too experienced (which is the case here).

And hitting your partner is a staple of beat-em-ups co-op.
That and stealing your partner's health items, even when you don't need them.

A friend of mine plays Street of Rage 2 with me whenever she visits, I always look forward to it cause it's such a different and refreshing experience (I try to do couch coop whenever I can but let's be real here; with adult responsabilities, it's way harder to find the time to play with your friends in the same room as them

Not just that, it's very hard to even find someone who actually enjoys retro games as well.

EDIT:

Managed to reach, once again, the last boss in one credit.
This time, I screwed up big time, and lost 2 lives on the helicopter stage. It's alarmingly easy to get knocked down at the wrong time there, and be thrown off board. Still with some practice, it should be avoidable.
The next life was, once again, on the ninjas in Stage 8. Although I can now more or less beat them with BIL's strategy, they still give me trouble.
For one, sometimes they will stop moving, and be slightly off center from you, so the spinning kick won't hit them, and neither will the uppercut, so I have to go to their lane, and they wreck me immediately.
I find them particularly tough, if you happen to be against the wall. They will mercilessly beat you up (and knock you down), without giving the slightest time to breathe.

Also lost the last life against the final boss. Used 1 continue, and ended up beating him on losing only 1 life.
Spinning kick doesn't work against him (except sometimes, like when he's invisible, and somehow I hit him), and uppercut rarely reaches him as well, as he does this annoying backflip that avoids almost everything.
Trading hits also isn't a very bright idea, as most often than not, he'll come on top.
Surprisingly, what I found works best, is to score a knockdown, and perform a standard jump kick as he's getting up. He'll (almost?) always try to perform the backflip, and if you time it right, you'll hit him, and knock him back again.
Also, and this is purely speculation, but he seems to have a hard counter for your spinning kick, as he often hit me while I was performing it, and I lost 3HP at once. I don't know exactly how the damage calculation works, but sometimes he'll take these huge chunks of damage, and othertimes will only do 1HP of it.

Anyway, provided this jump+kick strategy really works, I should reach the 1CC soon. I always say this, though.

[BIL]

Speaking of speedruns, horeh sheeit the latest SDA Ninja Crusaders one is intense. I remember the old one being a little safer-looking. This one tears it up with 100% balls to the wall sword slashing. Just over five minutes, bless he soul! No damage boostin' here baby All respect to the damage boost masters, as always, but I like speed games where getting hit is never a good thing! (I prefer watching VAMPIRE KILLER to DRACULA IV )



Those two pink canisters are examples of the game's spring-loaded enemy type - they can be rushed and taken down quickly during their set-in-stone idle period, or you can wait for them to trigger and evade the attack as they fly offscreen, but indecision's not a good move!

[FinalBaton]

Not just that, it's very hard to even find someone who actually enjoys retro games as well.

True. That's why I had to go with Dragon's Crown, to entice my buddy, who is not as into retro games as I do. DC is still a great time, tho

NC Speedrun footage

that run looks lovely. seems to exude POWER

[__SKYe]

Those two pink canisters are examples of the game's spring-loaded enemy type - they can be rushed and taken down quickly during their set-in-stone idle period, or you can wait for them to trigger and evade the attack as they fly offscreen, but indecision's not a good move!

That's something I also find very much true in Ninja Gaiden, in that often times, it is safer to walk to an enemy and slash him immediately, rather than taking your time.
Specifically those rocket launcher guys, and those that look like a statue that fires a fireball, where if you don't stop, you can take them out before they do anything.

The look of the game, movement/camera speed, and overall feel of this game feels very NG to me.

That walking animation is rather silly, though.

[BIL]

Definitely a swing and a miss at emulating NG's economical running animation.

Reminds me of Jewel Master (MD)'s goofy walk animation too (as with NG and NC, only the guy's lower body animates). Ryu's iaido grip and slight forward incline (both subtly demonstrating he's not merely stock-still with his legs pedalling away, but poised to lash out) make such a critical difference.

[FinalBaton]

That's something I also find very much true in Ninja Gaiden, in that often times, it is safer to walk to an enemy and slash him immediately, rather than taking your time.

True. the game almost always rewards you for making it to an enemy as fast as possible and slashing him. This also includes projectile throwing enemies, most times they won't have a chance to throw a single projectile before you reach them.

DD2 talk

Good luck with the 1CC man! God I hate the platforming in this game especially the moving tank, with the random steam pipes blowing off. That shit is so dumb, lol. And yes the 2 shuriken throwing ninjas are absolutely KICKING MY ASS in this game, lol. Otherwise I quite enjoy it, eh

[BIL]

This time, I screwed up big time, and lost 2 lives on the helicopter stage. It's alarmingly easy to get knocked down at the wrong time there, and be thrown off board. Still with some practice, it should be avoidable.

God I LOVE that stage - perfect deadly simplicity. Those trademark Technos FC sound effects too. Door opens: *WOOP-WOOOP* Someone goes out the chopper to a gruesome death: *bwooooo* (with a split-second "WTF? Oh HELL NAWWW" face beforehand)

Doubles as a great venue for 2P Mode B deathmatches.

[kitten]

That's actually pretty impressive, as I've always found playing with 2 players harder than playing alone, especially when one of the players isn't too experienced (which is the case here).

i managed to work it to an advantage! i was belting a lot of orders and being outright bitchy as all hell and then after his i had to run up to the bedroom and wake her up (we share a bedroom) to sign into her sam's club account (instead of renewing mine we got her one b/c of a $20 off for new member thing and put me as the secondary - a reverse of the first year we had a membership) to get an NES classic for the 3 minutes it was in stock, haha.

i owe her big time, tomorrow.

but yeah! if your co-op partner is being reliable, you can really manipulate the hell out of the puny three enemies on-screen at once. key is: they gotta be reliable. it doesn't up enemies on screen or HP for two-player, so as long as you two aren't beating each other up on accident, it's almost a strict advantage, minus from pulling from the same credit pool.

- - - - - - - - - -

since i've been on a big SEGA GENESIS/MEGADRIVE streak, i decided to replay the first streets of rage... and holy shit, it is way harder than i remember! i burned through all three credits before even hitting the final boss, shameful. i've cleared this one before, but it tore me apart, this time probably need to get more active about grabbing and know which enemies i need to be immediately prepared to punch as they approach. a very different game than its sequel, this is.

rather than sulk in defeat, i immediately booted up streets of rage 2, and did what i am not certain but maaaay be my first 1cc of it go me! and this was somehow forgetting the game has an (extremely useful) charge attack! sharc pointed this out to me as i was talking to him about it after my victory, and boy did i feel like a moron. i lost almost 3 lives to the jumpy ninja boss's elevator reappearance, and that would have been absolutely critical to know against him. probably. still need a strategy for him and jet if i ever want to get good genuinely good at this and not just scrape a 1cc on default but, hey, let me have my victory.

[Immryr]

i caught a bit of zoasty running super metroid earlier and saw the reverse boss order route for the first time, it's absolutely insane. he also happened to get the world record, i'd highly recommend watching it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp-VeEuZsP0

Holy hell, running Norfair like that looks intense. Fucking clock always ticking.

yeah i really couldn't believe what i was seeing. that ridley fight is just SO CLOSE to the wire. i don't really watch many SM speed runs and had never seen the crystal flash trick, which i still can't get my head around. is that intentionally in the game? it seems to have it's own unique animation, which makes me think it is, but it's such an esoteric trick that i think surely i can't be a deliberate mechanic.

[kitten]

yeah i really couldn't believe what i was seeing. that ridley fight is just SO CLOSE to the wire. i don't really watch many SM speed runs and had never seen the crystal flash trick, which i still can't get my head around. is that intentionally in the game? it seems to have it's own unique animation, which makes me think it is, but it's such an esoteric trick that i think surely i can't be a deliberate mechanic.

if you boot up your cart and allow it to run demo footage, the game will eventually show you samus doing the crystal flash, suggesting it is definitely intentional.

[FinalBaton]

Good job on the SOR2 1CC kitten

i managed to work it to an advantage! i was belting a lot of orders and being outright bitchy as all hell and then after his i had to run up to the bedroom and wake her up (we share a bedroom) to sign into her sam's club account (instead of renewing mine we got her one b/c of a $20 off for new member thing and put me as the secondary - a reverse of the first year we had a membership) to get an NES classic for the 3 minutes it was in stock, haha.

Awww. poor Luna, haha

[__SKYe]

Good luck with the 1CC man! God I hate the platforming in this game especially the moving tank, with the random steam pipes blowing off. That shit is so dumb, lol. And yes the 2 shuriken throwing ninjas are absolutely KICKING MY ASS in this game, lol. Otherwise I quite enjoy it, eh

Haha, thanks, it's going along nicely, and to be honest, I actually expected it to take much longer to (be close to) get the 1CC.
The platforming sections are indeed the weakest point of the game.

Definitely a swing and a miss at emulating NG's economical running animation.

Reminds me of Jewel Master (MD)'s goofy walk animation too (as with NG and NC, only the guy's lower body animates). Ryu's iaido grip and slight forward incline (both subtly demonstrating he's not merely stock-still with his legs pedalling away, but poised to lash out) make such a critical difference.

Yeah, the forward incline (and proper leg animation) give Ryu a good sense of movement, whereas in NC, the upper body is simply still, and it has that funky leg animation.

God I LOVE that stage - perfect deadly simplicity. Those trademark Technos FC sound effects too. Door opens: *WOOP-WOOOP* Someone goes out the chopper to a gruesome death: *bwooooo* (with a split-second "WTF? Oh HELL NAWWW" face beforehand)

It's one of those stages where you can go through it without losing any lives, even when you don't have much experience, but there's always that danger that a minor screw up, will cost you a lot. Even the regular enemies pose a threat here, as an otherwise, crappy jump kick/knife will knock you down, and if you're unlucky, you'll get thrown out.
Of course, you can (and should) do the same to the enemies (especially the hairdo-Abobos) to score a quick kill.

but yeah! if your co-op partner is being reliable, you can really manipulate the hell out of the puny three enemies on-screen at once. key is: they gotta be reliable. it doesn't up enemies on screen or HP for two-player, so as long as you two aren't beating each other up on accident, it's almost a strict advantage, minus from pulling from the same credit pool.

I don't have too much co-op beat-em-up experience, as the last time I played like that, I was too young, and my playing was way below average.
I do believe that the standard way to play co-op, is for each player to deal with opposite sides of the screen, so that the other player won't be caught by surprise (in the back), and also to not get in the other player's way.
Platforming sections (if they exist) must be treated with special care as well.

since i've been on a big SEGA GENESIS/MEGADRIVE streak, i decided to replay the first streets of rage... and holy shit, it is way harder than i remember! i burned through all three credits before even hitting the final boss, shameful. i've cleared this one before, but it tore me apart, this time probably need to get more active about grabbing and know which enemies i need to be immediately prepared to punch as they approach. a very different game than its sequel, this is.

rather than sulk in defeat, i immediately booted up streets of rage 2, and did what i am not certain but maaaay be my first 1cc of it go me! and this was somehow forgetting the game has an (extremely useful) charge attack! sharc pointed this out to me as i was talking to him about it after my victory, and boy did i feel like a moron. i lost almost 3 lives to the jumpy ninja boss's elevator reappearance, and that would have been absolutely critical to know against him. probably. still need a strategy for him and jet if i ever want to get good genuinely good at this and not just scrape a 1cc on default but, hey, let me have my victory.

That's very nice actually, I find SOR 2 to be pretty hard (at least for my current level), so you're ahead of me here. I can more or less reach the last stage, but I still find it pretty hard, and I have yet to 1CC it.

Streets Of Rage 1 is the only one I've 1CCed (on Normal) so far, with all 3 characters. SOR 3, I rarely play.

My SOR1 playstyle changed tremendously in my quest for the 1CC. Initially, I used to do jump+kick all the time, almost to avoid getting close to enemies. With time, I've learned to poke+grab+hit+throw, which is much more efficient (and fast).
The infinite combo helps tremendously against bosses (except the twins, and the last boss).
The most important breakthough, was when I developed a proper method to beat the twins, without losing lives (and not depend on the Special attack).
Before that, I had reached the final level several times before, with several lives, but lost them all against them. The moment I managed to beat them without losing lives (or close), I got the 1CC.

The lack of a crowd clearing move (except the special, which has very limited uses), does make this game tougher at some points.
And yes, it does need a different playstyle from the sequels.

-----

Once again, onto another news, managed to get the 1CC on Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun (FC) on Level-2.
I'm not terribly happy with this one, for now, as I only got it, because I happened to pickup 2 extra lives throughout the run.

The upside is that, I managed to reach Sabu (the final boss) without losing any lives, but lost 3 lives against him.
I have gained a newfound respect for him, as even the slightest screw up in your controls, will absolutely get you killed.

The guy is worst than Eddie E. and Belger, in that, if you get knocked down (for whatever reason), he'll constantly shoot his gun at you, and you're dead as soon as you get up. You also fight 2 of him in Level-2, though not at once.
And yes, I got the confirmation that his attack is 1HKO.

Perhaps the funniest way to die against him, is to accidentally run against a wall, knocking yourself down in the process, and having him wait for you to get up, and shoot you in the face.

Getting the 1LC shouldn't be too hard, it's just a matter of not screwing up against him, otherwise, consider the run forfeit.
It does always keep the game interesting and tense, as there's always that danger of losing a life (or lives) on the slightest mistake. And this isn't just unique to him, as the 3 Shinjis at the same time, or the 2 Misuzus (also at the same time) are a nightmare to beat, and can kill you in 3~4 hits.

[Sumez]

if you boot up your cart and allow it to run demo footage, the game will eventually show you samus doing the crystal flash, suggesting it is definitely intentional.

The demos in Super Metroid actually show a lot of different things, that are very useful. I love the way the game uses that. You may not notice it the first time you pop the game in, but after having owned it for a while, things start to unveil and you learn stuff. Same with the classic wallclimbing teaching technique.

[Sumez]

And BIL, you sold me on Ninja Crusaders.
Sure I get that it's not "essential", but with a NES/Famicom collection that's now approaching 200 different games, the standard for being included has to be lowered just a little.

[BIL]

Good, now BUY MY COPY MUHFUCKA nah, if I'm talking up a game it's because I love it and it's safely mine mine mine ;3

[FinalBaton]

The demos in Super Metroid actually show a lot of different things, that are very useful. I love the way the game uses that. You may not notice it the first time you pop the game in, but after having owned it for a while, things start to unveil and you learn stuff. Same with the classic wallclimbing teaching technique.

Absolutely. The bolded is especially useful. And it also shows a powerup location that is otherwise pretty fucking cryptic (ship area, stand on a high ledge, propel yourself up via bombs)

That's very nice actually, I find SOR 2 to be pretty hard (at least for my current level), so you're ahead of me here. I can more or less reach the last stage, but I still find it pretty hard, and I have yet to 1CC it.

SOR2 is a very decent challenge indeed. I've only 1CC'd it once so far. The rest of the time I almost make it but for short. I haven't put a ton of practice into it lately though, so I still have room for improvment in my game (most notably : coming up will better strategies)

[BIL]

Didn't you come this way before, a million years ago?

Dr. Biruford's other latter-days FC pickup, also sneaking in under cover of raging alcoholism in the wake of many better games, but also by no means unwelcome, is the classic story of a young boy orphaned by bad controls and sadistic level design...

DYNAMITE LULZMAN [FC] (1991 Sunsoft)

Even a seemingly unfinished, decidedly uncalibrated Sunsoft action game is hard to turn down. At least when it's commensurately cheaper to acquire than the vastly superior Gimmick or Battle Formula. This is the weakest of their golden age FC output (excepting Hebereke - I've yet to play that), but it's not without some gratification.

Where Ninja Crusaders functions as a reification of 1HKO Ninja Gaiden, DB has a (farther-flung) parallel with another cast-iron favourite of mine: Alien Soldier. AS vets will know the game's final platforming sequence, the zako-infested abyss midway through Act 3. It's a technically thorny stretch that'll almost certainly nick some HP (and your Phoenix Force) without practiced technique. AS's stage penalties being so mild, this is less a mortal concern than a performance one; it's likely prestige on the line, not your life. The player will polish the scuffs out on a future run if so inclined, gunning down the zako horde, dodging or blocking their shots, staying clear of the abyss and promptly phoenixing Melon Bread's dumb face clean off.

DB is a game-length exercise in this prickly platform-shooter mode, simultaneously simpler yet less forgiving. Mechanical richness and performance ceiling are much lower than the Mega Drive masterpiece, but bumps hurt like fucking hell and will most definitely kill you many times before each stage is conquered. Just like AS, basic survival isn't the end goal, so much as unpacking and maturing an initially obstructive, ungainly course into a seamless rampage.

This could've easily worked out, given DB's comparably booming firepower (ignore S/B) and technical prowess. It's a satisfying game to handle, crashing charge-C into a wall to obliterate everything onscreen, or tearing enemies apart with the rocketing slidekick. Unfortunately, there is that aforementioned lack of calibration in the mechanical and stage design departments. Basic control of your large sprite is heavily lagged, making fine adjustment difficult and sudden correction near-impossible (*bonk*). Far from working to offset this, stage design consistently does the opposite to varying degrees of irritation. The majority of DB's enemy/trap placement is merely mischievous, but in bouts ranges from sadistic to, in the historic nadir of st3-1, utter kusoge.

3-1 is mercifully not representative of the game surrounding it, and moreover plays fine once painstakingly burnt into memory. Regardless, as game design atrocity it's monumental in the most literal sense; it must be preserved and studied by future generations. Falling mortars and tornado-launching wizards are the active threats, both spawning with zero notice and giving functionally nonexistent reaction windows; icy terrain and omnipresent pits exacerbate the control lag into outright paralysis, driving that window into the negative digits. Only learning the stage in gruesome detail will see it yield. This stage put me off the game for years, but lately I've tried to forgive otherwise good games for even severe occasional transgressions. Ninja Spirit (PCE) and Bucky O'Hare (FC)'s lapses into kuso-rote are briefer but no less egregious, and I'd never be without either. So I knuckled down and got to grips with the badness. God help me. ¦3

Hammered into order with some brute memorisation (unfortunately much more brute than it needed to be), it certainly does mature into a decent little assault course. It's still hard not to imagine what could've been here, and in certain regards it feels not just misjudged but outright unfinished. What the fuck is with stages 2 and 5's lack of bosses? That's a great shooter engine dying for an intense boss battle! Look how much shit it can put onscreen without breaking a sweat! (sorry about the brutal flicker - 60fps looks great!) I can just imagine battling totally sweet monster machines ala Battle Formula, to similarly manful boss BGM. >_< Oh well. The bosses in general are lame, but as one might infer by my attitude towards NG1 and Ninja Crusaders, provided they don't waste my mahfuckin time I'm okay for stages to make up the balance. Though tbh, without autofire, a couple here do waste my mahfuckin time. The obsession with item boxes can get a little ridiculous too.

Aesthetically its gun-crazy action is a little jarring... besides agreeing with Ghegs that the game seems more redolent of Iron Man, the boss intro looks a lot more Thor than anything Bats. I'd expect the latter to plug his gear into a nearby lamppost tbh. And although technically spectacular, I don't artistically rate it over the first FC Batman - far too many inexplicable floating platforms compared to the latter's hulkingly solid, consistent settings, and there's little comparable to the grueling athleticism of its walljumping. These are quibbles next to its more relevant strengths and weaknesses; ultimately this is a game more about brute mastery and dominance than polish, at both mechanical and aesthetic levels.

TLDR: Stage 3-1 is fucking awful and may easily kill the game for many. The rest is flawed but forgivable, and actually pretty good! Big boomy fast-paced shooter in need of better controls and more breathing room.

TLDR II: Raf World Syndrome, basically!

[soprano1]

Thanks for the replay, BIL.

[__SKYe]

Hell yeah, just got the 1LC in Nekketsu Kouha: Kunio-kun (FC) on Level-2.

Did it on the 2nd try today. On the first, I reached Sabu on 1 life yet again, but lost 3 of them against him.
I'll say this again, I've got a newfound respect for him, as the slightest mistake often leads to a lost life. I did manage to avoid his bullets a couple times luckily, but it's always very tense, whenever he breaks free from my attack loop.

Given that in this run I used the ever-cool face pounding pin, I believe it is slightly more amusing to watch, so I might upload it to Youtube. I stil don't think it is THAT amusing, but well, in this kind of game, I don't believe it gets much better.

Dr. Biruford's other latter-days FC pickup, also sneaking in under cover of raging alcoholism in the wake of many better games, but also by no means unwelcome, is the classic story of a young boy orphaned by bad controls and sadistic level design...

DYNAMITE LULZMAN [FC] (1991 Sunsoft)

Gonna watch it now.

By the way BIL, I've just noticed this by chance, after gazing upon your signature.
If I recall correctly, it previously said "Death by the head crusher", and now I seemed to recall your new sig from somewhere, so I can only assume you're a fellow Megadeth fan?
As if utterly crushing opposition in hardcore action games wasn't enough, you do it while listening to Megadeth? That's brutal.

EDIT:

Just watched it. That was a fantastic play BIL.
The game looks pretty decent, and fun too. Might give it a try soon.
By the way, are the spikes on the last stage 1HKO? I imagine that those moving patforms part, should prove deadly for the unwary/unexperienced player.

The bosses look pretty cool too, both in looks and in AI. The last boss looks particularly awesome.
And the VS boss intro is pretty nice also.

[BIL]

Thanks for the replay, BIL.

Always a pleasure! I'm sorry it's so flickery, at points it looks like Bats really is just blowing away the baddies hitscan-style... Sunsoft must've really pushed the limits of FC tech. Gonna have to sort out better encoding at some point.

By the way BIL, I've just noticed this by chance, after gazing upon your signature.
If I recall correctly, it previously said "Death by the head crusher", and now I seemed to recall your new sig from somewhere, so I can only assume you're a fellow Megadeth fan?

I do indeed like the ol heavy' \m/etal! Particularly the earlier 80s' thrash/thrash-inspired stuff, and a bit of bone-jarringly heavy doom too. The genre's ethos is quite similar to that of STGs in a way... lots of focused intensity, emphasis on technique, and quotable quotes. ;3 Venom, Sabbath and Celtic Frost are other frequent occupiers of my final sig line. Been blasting Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and To Mega Therion a lot while commuting lately. Head Crusher's quite the cathartic song. KIMB and Peace Sells are the MD records I always come back to, but I think Endgame is pretty great overall.

edit: oh god, that's a Bruce Dickinson quote near the top of my previous post. I do it without even thinking!

By the way, are the spikes on the last stage 1HKO? I imagine that those moving patforms part, should prove deadly for the unwary/unexperienced player.

They are - and actually I had no idea until testing out a deliberately risky method today! I might never have known otherwise, haha. Woulda sucked to find out at the end of a 1LC attempt.

TBH it's a fairly easy game once you accept i) some parts just demand brute memorising, stage 3 especially, and ii) there are no health pickups, so even easier bits need to be handled carefully lest damage add up. I actually like the second point, keeps things reasonably tense.